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THE GREAT 
CONSPIRACY 



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Alexander $zarshl k^ 
Faust 4 bewaish, Ph. D. 




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Published and Distributed by the 

German-American Literary Defense committee 

183 William St., New York City 



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APR 27 f9l6 41 



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The Great Conspiracy 

By ALEXANDER SZARSKI and FAUST C. DeWALSH, PH. D. 



This is an indictment, charging two European countries, whose territories and 
dominions cover two-thirds of the world, with deliberately and wantonly waging 
a war of conquest, unique in the history of the world ; and with deliberately and 
maliciously exerting their pernicious influence in order to inflict the most terrible 
catastrophe on hundreds of millions of people. 

Public and official documents hereto attached shall prove to the world the justice 
and righteousness of this arraignment. 

In order to expose the vast extent of this conspiracy, it becomes necessary to 
reprint articles, notes and other documents which may seem irrelevant to anyone 
not acquainted with European politics, but which are essential to a full explanation 
of what led Russia and Great Britain to commit this monstrous crime. 

Russia, the world's dungeon ; the land of gloomy despotism and brutal intoler- 
ance ; the country known to past and present history as the charnel-house of nations; 
the land whose entire history and existence is based on barbarism, murder, fraud and 
deception ; the empire whose laws are interpreted by government officials in such a 
way as to permit Jewish women to become residents of cities in which a higher edu- 
cation is obtainable, and from which they are otherwise debarred, by means of 
registering the names of such women in the yellow list of prostitution ; such a coun- 
tr-' has assumed the role of liberating and protecting the peaceful citizens of liberal 
and democratic countries. 

Ivan, the Terrible, the third Russian Czar (Imperator), left a book in which 
he ordered Mass to be read for the repose of the souls of 3,470 persons murdered, 
with his own hands, in the name of the Holy Russian Faith. 

Nicholas II., the present Russian ruler— the weak-minded dummy of the so-called 
"Holy Synod"— the willing instrument of a perverse and criminal clique of courtiers, 
has declared a "holy war" on civilized Christian n':itions. 



'IIIE GREAT CONSPIRACY 



HOW NICHOLAS' MAFFIA PREPARED THE WAY. 



On March 16, 1913. Alexander Konta 
published In the New York Times 
the following article: 

"Not so very long ago The New 
York Times published a series of 
articles exposing the activities , the 
espionage, oppressions and persecutions 
practiced by the Third Section of the 
Imperial Rusian Police in the United 
States. It show-ed how political refu- 
gees from Czardom were hampered In 
the enjoyment of the rights guarante- 
ed to all law-abiding men by the laws 
of this country; how, in short, under 
the National Government at Washing- 
ton, there has been established here 
a reign of terror, whose official con- 
nection with the Russian Government 
It may be hard to establish, according 
to the rules of legal evidence, but 
whose nature is nevertheless clear to 
all. 

"Russia has, however, as I have had 
occasion to point out ere this in these 
columns, a far more potent agency at 
Its command than its secret police. 
namely, the Orthodox Russian Church, 
whose official and officially declared 
mission it is to convert all Slavs to its 
faith, as an approach to their ultimate 
political union under one head, that of 
the Czar of all the Russias. 

"This Pan-Slavism, religious and po- 
litical. Is no doubt a legitimate aspira- 
tion in Europe, where it is counter- 
balanced by the mass-movements of 
other races and monarchies, whose se- 
curity and continued united existence, 
its systematic, steady encroachments 
threaten with internal strife and dis- 
ruption. 

"It is another matter altogether, and 
one that deserves the most serious at- 
tention of all Americans, when the 
propaganda is transferred to this coun- 
try, with the purpose of transforming 
all the Slavs resident here into Rus- 
sians, by means of the Russian Ortho- 
dox Church, It is a deliberate, and 



elaborately organized and financed 
campaign, not only for the conver- 
sion of aliens to a new alien allegiance; 
it is, what is far more serious, a de- 
liberate campaign to prevent them 
from becoming Americanized. 

"The immigration question is much 
to the fore again with us, and no won- 
der. It is confusion so amazingly con- 
founded that none can find the point 
of departure whence better conditions, 
organization and orderly progress can 
most successfully be started. A Con- 
gressional committee sat for several 
years on the subject, and has produced 
as the result of its investigations a 
voluminous report that should prove 
of inestimable service to our legis- 
lators, and to all who have the future 
of our country at heart. 

"But, and here I return to the mat- 
ter at hand, these investigators, most 
of them native American, and ham- 
pered by a lack of knowledge of the 
confusion of tongues among the raw 
human material dealt with, a lack of 
knowledge widely shared also by the 
settlement and other workers upon 
whose experience they drew in part, 
have entirely failed to deal with the 
hidden influences and interests whose 
aims are diametrically opposed to those 
of the United States in this matter of 
the latter-day immigration. The strong- 
est, the most dangerous of these in- 
fluences, the most deliberately ob- 
scurantist and anti-American is that 
of the Russian Orthodox Church. 
The Slav Church Quarrels. 
"From time to time, in fact -with a 
frequency that should attract more at- 
tention than it has done so far, the 
news of the day, as reported in the 
American press, includes a brief dis- 
patch from some part of the country, 
as far away as the Pacific Coast or 
the Northwest, as near home as the 
mining regions of Pennsylvania, or the 
industrial centers of Paterson or Jer- 



THE GREAT 

sey City — from time to time, I repeat, 
and with remarkable frequency, the 
news of the day includes a brief story 
of a quarrel in some Slav Church. 

"The dispatches describe these con- 
gregations as Polish, or Ruthenian, 
Hungarian or Slavonic, or what not, 
but the substance is always the same. 
A priest has quarreled with his Bishop, 
has been deposed, and has appealed to 
the courts. Or a congregation has 
locked its spiritual shepherd out of the 
church, and risen in revolt against 
ecclesiastical authority. 

"Owing to unavoidable total ignorance 
of the inside facts, the report as 
printed, has no significance to the 
American reader, who most likely 
scans it indifferently, reflects a moment 
upon the turbulent ways of immigrants 
in religious matters, and the increas- 
ing burden and bother they are to this 
country, and therefore forgets all 
about it. What has really happened 
is that the Russian Orthodox Church 
has succeeded, or perhaps failed for 
the moment, in capturing still another 
congregation, its material investment 
in edifice, charitable work, &c., all 
included. 

"This campaign has been going on 
steadily for many years, in fact ever 
since the sale of Alaska to this coun- 
try, when the Russian Orthodox Bishop 
of the territory moved to San Fran- 
cisco, and there discovered, with the 
very active assistance of the Russian 
Ambassador of that time, Count Kotze- 
bue, that here was a wide Slav field 
for his labors. Orthodox Russians 
there were none on the Pacific Coast 
at that time, but there were Slavon- 
ians, Serbs, Ruthenians, all kinds of 
Greek Catholics to be won for the 
Russian Orthodox Church, and a con- 
vert to the Russian Church was then, 
and is now, a convert to the Czar of 
all the Russias. 

What Are "Greek Catholics?" 

"It is necessary here, first of all, to 
explain that 'Greek Catholics' do not 



CONSPIRACY 5 

belong to the Eastern but to the West- 
ern Church. Few Americans know this; 
most Russian Catholic laymen, even, 
are Ignorant of the fact. The Russian 
Church takes the titles "Orthodox." 
"Orthodox Greek Russian," "Orthodox 
Eastern," &c., but it never calls itself 
"Greek Catholic," because that implies 
the supreme authority of the Pope. 
"Catholic" officially and historically 
always denotes union with Rome, 
wherefore an Orthodox Russian is as 
much of a schismatic to a Greek Cath- 
olic, be he Hungarian, Ruthenian, Serb, 
or Slavonian, as he is to a Spanish 
Roman Catholic. 

"In Austria-Hungary, where the bulk 
of the Greek Catholics are found, the 
term "Greek Catholic Church" has the 
"Church of the Ruthenian Greek Rite", 
in union with and subject to the author- 
ity of the Holy Apostolic See at Rome. 
This meaning is recognized by the 
Government, the laws of the land, and 
the courts. It is as specific and exact 
as the meaning of the name "Church of 
England" or "Protestant Episcopal 
Church." 

"The Ruthenians are the Slav peas- 
antry of Galicia, the Austrian part of 
Poland. They belong to the Greek 
Ca*tholic rite, whereas the Poles, who 
are the nobles and landowners, adhere 
to the Latin, or Roman, Catholic rite. 
Ruthenians and Poles, Slavs both, hate 
and despise each other for historic rea- 
sons — the inherited feeling between the 
serf and his feudal master — and this 
historic hatred and contempt have been 
transferred in course of time to the 
religious field. 

"To the ignorant Ruthenian, at home 
or in this country, Latin or Roman Ca- 
tholicism is synonymous with "Polish" 
Catholicism, a confusion of ideas of 
which the Russian Orthodox propa- 
ganda has made adroit and unscrupu- 
lous use by representing that the Greek 
Catholic priests ordained here by Ro- 
man Catholic Bishops, in the absence 
of a Bishop of their own rite, becomes 



fi 



THE GRRAT CONSPIRACY 



Ipso facto Latin, i. e., "Polish," Cath- 
olics. 

"In 1907 the Pope put an end to this 
confusion of ideas and its reeults by 
appointing a Greelc Catholic Bishop 
for America, the Right Rev. Soter 
Stephen Ortynski. The chief differences 
between these two branches of thi» 
Church of Rome are liturgical. The 
Greek Catholics are Ruthenians, not 
Latin; they use the Julian instead of 
the Gregorian reckoning, wherefore th« 
festivals of the Church fall at times 
different from those of the Latin rite, 
but their faith and sacramental aya- 
tem under one supreme head are the 
same. Roman Catholic missionaries 
are expressly forbidden to induce Greek 
Catholics to adopt the Latin rite. 

"However, the Russian Orthodox 
Church continues its propaganda by 
all means at its command, fair or not. 
For instance: Some years ago (in 1907) 
there sprang up in the Ruthenian 
Greek Catholic Church of Saints Peter 
and Paul in Jersey City a faction that 
advocated secession from Catholicity 
and union with Russian Orthodoxy. 
Now, the Ruthenians are racially Little 
Russians. Thus the Ruthenian Greek 
Catholic Church became gradually a 
"Russian Greek Catholic Church," by 
the dropping of the adjective. 

"The new designation was a stealthy 

approach to other changes. No pro- 
test was made — who, indeed, took suf- 
ficient interest in so small a matter as 
the disappearance of a word from so 
long a name? As we have seen, the 
ward "Catholic" is never used by 
the Russian Orthodox Church in Eu- 
rope or Asia, but that body has found 
it a convenient shield for its opera- 
tions in this country. "Russian Greek 
Catholic Church" has a decidedly 
Eastern sound. In this case, however, 
the propaganda failed. The Church of 
Saints Peter and Paul adhered to its 
allegiance, and the schismatics estab- 
lished a congregation of their own. 
"Since the advent of Bishop Ortynski 



the Russian appeals to Old-World ra- 
cial prejudices have been successfully 
counteracted, but still Cardinal Farley, 
for instance, continues to be often 
referred to as a Pole in the attempts 
that go on without cessation to trans- 
form Slavs of the Greek Catholic rite 
Into Russian Orthodox believers. 

"The Ruthenian Bishop, it should be 
added, has been indefatigably active 
in eradicating Old-World prejudices 
and misconceptions under his charge 
and in leading them in every W'ay to- 
ward sound and useful Americanism. 

"Another recent case of Russian Or- 
thodox encroachments upon Greek 
Catholicism is that of the St. Michael's 
Society of Passaic, N. J. This case was 
carried into the courts of the State 
and hinged largely upon a definition 
of the term "Greek Catholic." Since, 
however, a fraternal sickness and 
death benefit fund was involved the 
case was settled by arbitration and no 
legal definition of Greek Catholicism 
placed on the records. For other cases 
see daily press. 

Russification in the United States. 

"On the surface all this looks like 
nothing but a religious propaganda, 
or organized attempt to win the Slavs 
of the Western Church over to the 
orthodox faith of Russia. But be- 
neath it there will be found an accom- 
panying campaign for the Russifica- 
tion of the Slavs in the United States, 
which involves a retardation, if not 
the ultimate prevention of their Amer- 
icanization. 

"In Russia Cliurch and Government 
are one. A soul won for the orthodox 
faith is a man won for the Czar, Its 
head. Panslavism is at the bottom of 
the movement. What Russia is doing 
In the Balkans, in Poland, in Austria, 
in southern and eastern Hungary, In 
Bohemia even, she would also do in 
the United States, whose immigration 
problems do not vex her in the least. 

"Money — ^Russian Government money 
— is spent with incredible lavishness in 



THE GREAT 

the United States for this particular 
purpose. Certain it is that there are 
not enough orthodox Russians in this 
country to support the numero.U3 
churches, chapels, missions, and other 
enterprises of their faith here and In 
Canada as well. The immigration from 
Russia is almost exclusively Jewish. 
The Russian Jews, by the way, have 
tales to tell of Russian orthodox 
methods of conversion, as have the 



CONSPiRACV ? 

Protestants there. 

"Our immigration statistics being 
what they are, no figures are available 
to demonstrate how small is the num- 
ber of orthodox Russians now in this 
country, but enough is known of their 
paucity to demonstrate that the estab- 
lishments maintained here in their 
name are out of all proportion to their 
needs, and even to those of purely re- 
ligious propaganda. 



THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH 



"According to the new yearbook of the 
Russian Orthodox Church in America, 
published by The Weekly Swjet, thp. 
Russian Orthodox Archiepiscopal es- 
tablishment in the United States which 
includes Alaska and also Canada, con- 
sists to-day of: In the United States, 
133 churches and rectories, 11 chapels, 
11 "Serb" missions and churches, 26 
"Syro-Arabic" missions and churches, 
9 monasteries and seminaries. 1 orph- 
anage, 1 immigrants' home, a society 
for the propaganda of the orthodox 
faith, and one orthodox aid society. 

"In Canada 27 churches and rectories, 
and 3 chapels. 

"In Alaska, 2 churches and 71 chapels. 

"This establishment is administered 
by 1 archbishop, 2 bishops, 2 archiman- 
drites, 2 abbots, 6 high priests, 119 
priests, 31 priest-monks, 2 monks, 1 
archdeacon, 2 priest-deacons, and 1 dea- 
con. In addition, there are many relig- 
ious teachers and church singers, some 
paid by the Russian Government, 
others from private funds. 

"There is no regular registered church 
membership, because, according to the 
authorities of the Russian Orthodox 
Church in this country, only a small 
number of Russian and Austro-Hun- 
garian immigrants settle here perma- 
nently, but the number of those attend- 
ing the orthodox churches here is put at 
200,000. The proportion of 1 orphanage 
to 162 churches and 85 chapels need 
nol be pointed out. It is statistically 
significant, however. 



IN AMERICA. 

"The Russian Orthodox Christian Im- 
migrant Society, in East Fourtasuth 
Street is, according to the Yearbook, 
supported chiefly by the Russian ortho- 
dox clergy in this country. It also re- 
ceives an annual subsidy from the 
Czar. 

Propaganda of the Faith. 
"Now, as to the Society for the Prop- 
aganda of the Russian Orthodox Faith 
in North America. It was founded by 
Archbishop Platon in January of last 
year, and its purpose is (Yearbook, 
P. 114,): 

To give moral and material assist- 
ance to oppressed Russians from 
the Carpathians, (Austria,) who in- 
cline toward orthodoxy; to unite 
more closely in an orthodox, Russian, 
fatherland, Russian immigrants from 
Austria and Russia in America, and 
to develop, strengthen and deepen in 
them the realization of Russian na- 
tionality. 

"This Yearbook testifies with amaz- 
ing frankness to the un-American, and 
in consequence, anti-American nature 
of the Russian Orthodox Propaganda 
in this country, for, reading on, we 
learn further that the aim of this So- 
ciety for the Propaganda of the Faith 
is also: 

To work for the diffusion, support, 
establishment and development of Holy 
Orthodoxy, both in America and in the 
old world, especially in those countries 
with Russian populations that have 
been led away from orthodoxy b>' their 



8 THE GREAT 

union with the Latin Church and by 
sectarianism. 

The Real Purpose. 

"Here, then, is the real purpose of all 
this activity confessed with naive 
plainness. Russification is the purpose, 
not Americanizatinn. Russification by 
means of -eligion, especially Russifica- 
tion of the Slavs of Austria-Hungary 
and the Balkans living in this country. 
In fact, Americanization is to be coun- 
teracted in every possible way, it 
seems, since the real service of these 
converts will not lie in their continued 
residence in this country, but in their 
return to tihe rid, where they are to 
swell the numbers and the influence of 
the Panslavist campaign for the west- 
ward extension if Russian power. 

"I quote again from official Russian 
sources in America, this time from the 
organ of the Russian Church, the Rus- 
sian Orthodox American Messenger. At 
the dedication exercises of the North 
American Russian Orthodox Theologi- 
cal Seminary at Tenafly, N. J., in Jan- 
uary, 1912, Archbishop Platon spoke as 
follows to the assembled seminarists 
after the ceremony proper: 

At religious services, neither the 
common speech of the people, which 
is related to Hungarian and Galician 
(Ruthenian) nor Great Russian, must 
be used, but the old Slav tongue. 

It is also of highest importance, 
and the seminarists must bear this 
in mind, by order of their Archbishop, 
that at every mention of the Czar of 
all the Russias the word "our" must 
always be employed. His majesty 
must always be called "Protector of 
the Orthodox Faith, our only auto- 
cratic Russian Lord and Emperor." 
Even though there are other Slavic 
princes, kings and even czars, yet 
there is only one and only ruler of 
Slavdom, our Russian Lord and Em- 
peror. (Russ. Orth. Am. Messenger, 
No. 2, vol. xvii., p. 29.) 



CONSPIRACY 

Effect on Immigration. 
"Is it any wonder that America's im- 
migration problem grows from bad to 
worse, that the Americanization of the 
newcomers is achieved even more slow- 
ly, at ever greater cost, with no per- 
ceptible raising of the average of re- 
sults? Is it any wonder that native 
America, which bears the burden of it 
all, and pays the bill, is growing im- 
patient—that Know Nothingism is rais- 
ing its voice again? 

"Here is a State Church, ruler of its 
Government — here is an ecclesiastical 
body disposing of all the wealth of a 
huge and rich emijire, engaged in a 
systematic campaign to prevent a large 
portion of the new immigration — the 
Slavs — from identifying themselves 
with the country that offers them a 
home and the means of subsistence. 

"Here is a State Church counteract- 
ing with State funds, in subterranean 
ways, the huge labor of assimilation 
and naturalization in which this coun- 
try has been engaged for the last quar- 
ter of a century. 

Russia is boldly playing In the 
United States the game she is playing 
In Eastern Europe. The cost to us is 
nothing to her, neither is the cost to 
the victims of her propaganda who 
must fail here in order to serve her on 
her Western frontiers. This gigantic 
conspiracy has been going on at an in- 
creasing ratio since the sixties of the 
last century. Unopposed, because un- 
suspected, it has grown in daring, in 
resources, in results. What is Amer- 
ica going to do about it? 

"Whether they fail here and return 
to the old country, or succeed here 
and stay, the Slavs brought under the 
spiritual hegemony of "our only auto- 
cratic Russian Lord and Emperor" will 
be an added political strength to his 
autocracy, an element of weakness 
and divided allegiance in the Ameri- 
can Commonwealth. Russian Ortho- 
doxy is but the means to the end, in 
whose attainment no scruples are al- 
lowed to interfere. 



THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 



"Russian money is poured out like 
water in the Pennsylvania mining re- 
gions, certainly not for religious pur- 
poses at all, but in the bribing of the 
Slav societies, and of Greek Catholic 
priests, in order to tempt them to bring 
their flocks of Hungarian and Austrian 
Slavs, of Ruthenians, Czechs, Serbs, 
Dalmatians, Croats, within the ortho- 
dox fold. It is all for the greater 
glory, the greater strength of the Czar, 
for the promotion of Russia's ambitious 
plans in Eastern Europe. 

Agents Employed. 
"Wherever there are Russian priests 
In this country they are on the watch 
for intelligent Slav immigrants. These 
are approached, and assisted in every 
way in acquiring the confidence of 
their fellow-Slavs and in making them- 
selves their advisers and leaders. 
Money is at their disposal the mo- 
ment they consent to act as agents of 
the great Orthodox cause. 

"In the anthracite region of Pennsyl- 
vania such an agent, Hungarian by 
birth, but master of the Slovak tongue, 
brought thousands upon thousands of 
Hungarian Greek Catholics into the 
Russian Orthodox Church. So notable 
were his services that he was made 
Russian Vice-Consul for the district. 
He turned out in the end to be a 
crook. He robbed the Slovaks who 
trusted him with their savings, but he 
served his Russian employers faith- 
fully and well. Another agent, a phy- 
sician, has only recently arrived in this 
country. His openly proclaimed mis- 
sion is "to awaken the Slav conscience 
of the Slovaks in this country." The 
fellow should have been excluded when 
he landed; it is not yet too late to de- 
port him. He is hand-in-glove with 
the Russian Orthodox priests in this 
country. He, too, does well his work 
of Russianizing immigrants whom 
this country is endeavoring to Ameri- 
canize. 

"As has already been said above, this 
bold Russian campaign on American 



soil began with the purchase of Alaska, 
in 1867, and the transfer of the Rus- 
sian Orthodox Bishop of the territory 
to San Francisco. At that time there 
were no Russian immigrants in this 
country, but the Bishop found in Cali- 
fornia great numbers of Austrian Slavs, 
especially Dalmatians and Croats, who 
were employed either in gold mining or 
in the shipping of the coast. Knowing 
no English, and having no churches of 
their own, these people were prac- 
tically excluded from all religious life. 
"The good, orthodox Russian Bishop, 
to whom we may well ascribe the high- 
est of motives, began to take a deep in- 
terest in these wandering, untended 
souls. So, as has already been Indi- 
cated, did the Russian Ambassador, 
Count Kotzebue, the moment he heard 
of them. He visited the Far West, 
found there no Russians, but hundreds 
of thousands of Slavs, and conscious 
that it is Holy Russia's "apostolic mis- 
sion to make all Slavdom subject to 
the Czar" set to work, as a good Rus- 
sian and faithful servant of his master, 
to do what he could in the territory 
within reach. 

"What were his means, what his 
methods, are, of course, a discreet dip- 
lomatic secret, but here is that really 
most interesting publication, the Tear- 
book of the Russian-American Ortho- 
dox Church, which celebrates (p. 141) 
the memory of the founders of that 
Church, and makes special mention of 
the two humble apostles, Pawel Po- 
dany, laborer, saloonkeeper, real estate 
agent, and now Russian Orthodox sex- 
ton in Minneapolis and proud possessor 
of an archiepiscopal letter of thanks 
and a blessed Bible; and Ivan Mlynar, 
farm laborer, grocer, saloonkeeper, real 
estate agent, honored with an altar 
cross by the Bishop. A third saintly 
pioneer was the Greek Catholic pastor 
Toth, who converted his congregation 
by the simple method of assuring them 
that their faith was identical with Rus- 
sian orthodoxy. These were the ves-j 



10 



THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 



sels, so the Yearbook assures us, chosen 
to bring the light to hundreds of thou- 
sands of benighted Greek Catholic 
Slavs. 

A Comparison. 

"To bring the meaning of this con- 
spiracy against Americanism still closer 
to the reader, a comparison may be 
made: 

Let us suppose that England were 
engaged at the present moment in sup- 
pressing Catholicism in Ireland with 
Are and sword, incarcerating those who 
refused to go over to the Church of 
England, and exiling them to some dis- 
tant colony as inhospitable as Siberia. 
Let us further suppose that the British 



Government, not content with these 
persecutions in Ireland itself, also sent 
missionaries, secret agents, and propa- 
gandists to this country, in order to 
take away from the Irish here the 
churches they have built, convert them 
into houses of Anglican worship, at the 
same time seeking to make them dis- 
loyal to the United States by persuad- 
ing them that the King of England is 
the only ruler to whom they owe alle- 
giance — what w^ould America say? 

"This is exactly what Russia is doing 
in this country. What does America 
say about it, and what is it going to 
do? Here is an immigration problem 
that needs immediate and thorough at- 
tention." 



THE ARCHBISHOP AS POLITICAL AGENT. 



Archbishop Rozdestwenskij (Platen), 
who plays such an important part in 
the article of the "New York Times," 
was before coming to this country as 
chief of the Russian conspiracy a 
member of the Second Duma and a 
leader of the well-known organization 
of the "Black Hundred." To his and 
his associates' evil influence it is due 
that every aspiration for justice and 
liberty in the so-called Russian Parlia- 
ment was crushed from the start; that 
every manifestation of independence 
was penalized, and the voice of the 
people silenced. It was the organiza- 
tion of the "Black Hundred" which 
caused the dispersion of the Second 
Duma; the imprisonment of the signers 
of the Viborg manifesto; the murder of 
the Jewish Duma-deputies, Professor 
Herzenstein and M. Yollos; and which 
Inaugurated pogroms by arousing the 
passions of the ignorant Russian mob 
against liberal and intelligent people. 

The same Rozdestwenskij (whose 
"holy" name is Platon) issued. In his 
official Russian paper, "The Russian 
Orthodox American Messenger," the 
following proclamations: 



To the Rescue of our Martyred Kin I 
Proclamation issued by His Eminence, 
the Russian Archbishop Rozdest- 
wenskij, New York City, for the 
purpose of raising funds for the 
benefit of Orthodox Russians in 
Galicia and Hungary. 
In Galicia and Hungary— two martyr 
States— those periods of Christian his- 
tory have been revived in which the 
power of pagan Rome martyrized 
human beings on the sole charge that 
they professed Christianity. Russians 
are now being martyrized in Christian 
Austria for the sake of the Orthodox 
faith which they love so well. 

Ou hearts bleed as we read the let- 
ters reaching this country, which tell 
of the unspeakable misery and mental 
anguish borne by our wretched broth- 
ers in Austria. These letters cannot 
but arouse our just indignation against 
those who torture our compatriots. 
However, these outrageous scoundrels 
and triumphant fanatics— these civil- 
ized barbarians should know that the 
time of retribution will come, for it 
seems impossible that God should suffer 
an innocent people to endure such hu- 



THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 



11 



miliation, and that He should close His 
eyes to the cruel slaughter of Russian 
martyrs. 

The time is coming when Russians 
will refuse to bear these hardships 
which are a disgrace to modern civili- 
zation; the time is coming when Rus- 
sians will bid Austria "STOP." 

Even now the outrages committed 
upon Russians in Austria are arousing 
a storm of protest throughout the vast 
Russian Empire. 

And until that time shall come we 
must do all in our power to aid our 
suffering brothers who are enslaved in 
Austria. 

Forward all contributions to the office 
of the "Swiet" ("World"), where I 
have today sent the sum of $100 to start 
the fund. 

(Signed) A. PLATON. 
(Translated from the Russian Ortho- 
dox American Messenger. June 28, 1913.) 



To All Beloved Children of the Ortho- 
dox North American Mission 
Apostolic Greeting. 

No stop has as yet been put to the 
persecution of our sacred orthodox 
religion in the subjugated land of the 
"Red Russians" (Czerwonvi Rusi). 

For eighteen months two orthodox 
priests, Hudym and Sandowicz*. have 
been incarcerated in the Polish prison 
at Lemberg, awaiting trial. The Aus- 
trian government continues to regard 
the conversion of our beloved Galician 
and Hungarian Russians to the faith 
of their ancestors as a capital crime 
and as high treason, to be punished 
with utmost severity. And so it is 
Austria's endeavor to use all means at 
her command in extinguishing the 
bright light of orthodox faith among 
the miserable children of holy Russia, 
living in foreign slavery. 



Newspapers inform us that the Rev- 
erenf" Alexiej Kabaluk** whom we all 
know and who, anxious to share the 
bitter lot of his brothers and sisters, 
was arrested immediately upon his ar- 
rival in Austria. While living In 
America, far away from the martyrs 
for Russian faith, he wept bitter tears 
whenever the sad news reached him 
from home. Unable to endure this con- 
dition any longer, and moved with pity 
for the martyrs at home, he sailed for 
Austria where he was at once put in 
prison which is overcrowded with 
martyrs for the cause of our orthodox 
faith— martyrs who are jeered at in 
their homes, in the street and even in 
church, and who cannot spend one day 
without being subjected to domiciliary 
visits, arrest and severe punishment. 

Forsaken, like sheep without a shep- 
herd, and crushed everywhere by their 
implacable, ignorant and inconsiderable 
enemies, these children of our holy 
Church — these brave people whose 
fame will be everlasting — do not lose 
courage, but find solace and strength 
in the struggle for their faith. Their 
sacred goal rests on the ground of 
righteousness, and their tearful pray- 
ers expressing their endless grief find 
their way to God, while their sad eyes 
are turned upon political and ortho- 
dox Russia, in expectation that Thou, 
O God, wouldst send succor and com- 
fort to these my beloved children in 
Christ. 

As though it were possible to in- 
crease the measure of sorrow and 



•These priests, indicted and tried be- 
fore a Polish jury for military espion- 
age and treason, were ultimately ac- 
quitted. 



♦♦"Reverend" Alexiej Kabaluk, a 
Hungarian tramp without any profes- 
sional training, became a Russian 
monk and was sent to America os- 
tensibly as a Russian missionary, but 
in reality to do the work of a political 
agent among the American Slavs. He 
was later arrested on the charge of 
high treason and conspiracy, convicted 
by a jury and sentenced to several 
years* imprisonment. 



12 



THE GREAT 



trouble among the Russians in Galicia 
and Hungary, our friends there have 
now, in three successive years, been 
the victims of elementary catastro- 
phies. In 1911, the crops were bad; 
last year, heavy rainfalls interfered 
with the harvest; this year, the coun- 
try is visited by unheard-of floods; 
and so the Russian population of Ga- 
licia and Hungary is ruined and mis- 
erable. Starvation is the outlook. And, 
In addition to being persecuted for 
their faith, our brothers now find 
themselves deprived of their last piece 
of bread— a truly unbearable condition 
to all sincere hearts! 

My beloved orthodox Russians in 
America: do you hear the lamentations 
of your brothers at home? Do not 
your hearts bleed and pain as you re- 
ceive this news of your martyrized 
kindred? If you hear all this, why do 
you not hasten to their assistance? 

Three m.onths ago I appealed to your 
charitable Russian hearts, my Beloved, 
and I also forwarded my contribution, 
so as to start a general auxiliary fund. 
What, now, has happened since? The 
clergy contributed a small sum; so 
did also some laymen. And the total 
amount raised is $400. This sum rep- 
resents a collection made among all 
orthodox Russians of the United States 
in the interest of their suffering 
brothers. A good reason, indeed, to 
lose courage, is it not? Better no gift 
at all than such an offer to those in 
need of our help. Would it not mean 
to give them stones instead of bread? 
There are among our people in this 
country many who command wealth, 
and who are not miserly; but so far 1 
have not heard their answer to the 
silent prayer of the Carpathian Rus- 
sians, nor have I found on record in 
our papers one single gift of which 
one might say: "He gave it to God 
Himself." 

Yesterday I sent the editor of the 
"Swiet" another $100 for the benefit of 
our suffering Carpathian brothers, 



CONSPIRACY 

and having but little hope that the 
editor of that paper will receive an 
amount sufficient even to aid one- 
tenth per cent, of the sufferers, I have 
taken the following resolution: 

Promoters of the Orthodox Faith, 
Reverend Fathers and Priests— 

To you these words are adressed. 
With your spiritual zeal; with your 
pastoral influence, and with your good 
example instill new life into the exist- 
ing Chapters for the promotion of 
Orthodox Faith, and found new Chap- 
ters wherever convenient. 

And you. Orthodox Russians in 
America, be one in your brotherhood 
with the promoters of our faith. That 
is a great and sacred cause. Only In 
this manner we may render effective 
service not only to our fellow-Russians 
in Galicia and Hungary, who are suf- 
fering for the cause of our faith and 
from starvation, but also to our suffer- 
ing fellow-countrymen in America. 

The Russian element in the United 
States is increased almost daily by im- 
migrants from the old country. There 
can be no doubt that all of these are 
orthodox at heart, though they mis- 
takenly regard themselves as Greek 
Catholics. 

We shall, of course, assist them in 
becoming orthodox. 

We shall, all of us, become mission- 
aries, and thus, as members of the 
Association for the Promotion of 
Orthodox Interests, we shall promote 
the sacred cause of our Orthodox 
Faith. 

I shall establish for this Associa- 
tion a new Board of Control, headed 
by Bishop Alexander. This Board will 
consider and elaborate all details rela- 
tive to further measures to be taken 
by the Association for the Promotion 
of Orthodox Interests. I can say at 
the present time that the Association 
will publish a bi-monthly journal 
under the title of "Promoter of Rus- 
sian Orthodox Faith" (Rawnitel Praw- 
oslavla) In the Ruthenian language. I 



THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 



13 



appoint as secretary of this association 
the Reverend Adam Filipowski. 

(The remaining part of the proclama- 
tion urges the collection of funds 
among Austrian and Hungarian Slavs 
in the United States.) The conclusion 
reads as follows: 

My intimate knowledge of your char- 



acter assures me that you will answer 
this appeal, and may the love of God 
be with you in return. Amen. 
(Signed) PLATON, 
Archbishop for North America. 

(Translated from the Russian Orthodox 
American Messenger, Nov. 14, 1913.) 



THE CONSPIRACY IN EUROPE. 



The same Russianizing tendencies, 
exposed by Mr. Konta in the "New 
York Times," have been the source of 
constant trouble in some parts of Aus- 
tria-Hungrary for over forty years. 

The great undermining work carried 
on in the dual monarchy by Russian 
agents is ably and impartially describ- 
ed by M. V. Stepankowsky (a Russian 
subject of the orthodox faith; and for 
many years a resident of London, Eng- 
land, and a member of the Foreign 
Press Association of that city) in a 
pamphlet entitled "The Russian Plot 
to Seize Galicia," published by Henry 
James Hall & Co., London. This brief 
sketch of Russian activity in the west- 
ern parts of the Ruthenian territory in 
Austria-Hungary, which appeared in 
March, 1914, contains so much valuable 
information and documentary evidence, 
that a reprint of certain portions there- 
of seems well worth while. 

However, before quoting the details 
of the Russian plot as set forth by M. 
Stepankowsky, it becomes necessary to 
acquaint the American public with 
Ruthenian (Ukrainian) history, so far 
as It concerns the present issue. 

The Ruthenian people number at 
present 40,000,000 souls, among them 
35,000,000 Russian subjects. The ter- 
ritory populated by them, Ukraine, is 
one of the richest regions of -the world, 
and the natural capacities of these 
people are well recognized. Their 
country is the grainery of all of East- 
ern Europe; it holds the key to the 
Black Sea and the most important 
ports in the Russian Empire. Three 
million five hundred thousand Ruthen- 



ians live in the eastern part of Galicia 
and in Bukovina, while about 500,000 are 
Hungarian citizens inhabiting the Car- 
pathian mountain districts in the 
northeast of Hungary. 

The following is a brief resumfe of 
Ruthenian history: 

The ancient kingdom of Little-Russia 
(Ruthenia), situated on both sides of 
the River Dnieper, between the Car- 
pathians and the River Don, with Kiev 
and Lemberg as capitals, is not— as 
some Russian historians falsely claim— 
the birthland of the Muscovites. The 
latter are really of Mongolian origin, 
and their racial and linguistic char- 
acteristics must be distinguished from 
those of the Little-Russians (Ruthen- 
lans). 

The Ruthenian Kingdom— once a 
prosperous and blooming country, con- 
verted to Christianity in 988 by King 
Volodymir, was destroyed by Tartar 
invaders in 1240, and compelled to re- 
move its political center to the west, 
viz. the present Galicia. In 1569, the 
Ruthenians and Lithuanians joined the 
Kingdom of Poland and became mem- 
bers of the Catholic Church, although 
they maintained the Julian calendar 
and continued to conduct all religious 
services in their own language. 

Unwilling to submit to Polish su- 
premacy, the Ruthenians, a hundred 
years later, overthrew the foreign 
regime and obtained their political in- 
dependence under the leadership of 
their "Hetman," Bogdan Chmelnicki. It 
formed an alliance with the then quite 
was at this time that the Ruthenians, 
realizing their weakness, voluntarily 



14 



THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 



formed an alliance with the then quite 
Insignificant Principality of Moscow. 
Though this agreement which was 
signed at Perejaslaw, near Kiev, in 
1644, guaranteed Ruthenian national 
Independence, the Muscovites com- 
pletely subdued the Ruthenian people 
In the early part of the eighteenth cen- 
tury. Their autonomous national in- 
stitutions were abolished; their lan- 
guage suppressed; and, in the nine- 
teenth century, they were forced lo 
Join the Orthodox Church. 

The condition of Ruthenians in Aus- 
tria was altogether different. The 
8,500,000 Galician Ruthenians, who after 
the division of Poland became Aus- 
trian subjects, were permitted not only 
to develop as a nation, but also to take 
an active interest in Austrian politics. 
They were granted suffrage; compul- 
sory education in the Ruthenian lan- 
guage was introduced; and Ruthen- 
ians were appointed to political and 
judicial offices wherever the Ruthenian 
element predominated. 

These privileges accorded by Austria 
to Ruthenians were regarded by Rus- 
sian oppressors as a menace to the 
barbarian methods applied by them to 
35,000,000 Ruthenians in Russia. To 
prevent a national revival of Ruthen- 
ian interests in Russia, of w^hich 
there have been indications for some 
time past, is one of the purposes of 
the present conflict for which Russia is 
responsible. 

Concerning the details of the Russian 
plot M. Stepankowsky says: 

The Russians are determined to add 
the Ruthenian provinces of Austria- 
Hungary to their own Ruthenian pos- 
sessions. 

The decision to that effect was prob- 
ably formed in St. Petersburg during 
the second half of the last century, 
when the Ruthenian national revival 
became first vigorous. 

It was, however, strongly disapprov- 
ed of by General Kuropatkin, who, 
when Minister of War, in 1900, express- 



ed himself thus, in his secret report 
to the Czar: 

"Galicia has grown up into a splen- 
didly entrenched camp, connected to 
other provinces of Austria-Hungary by 
numerous roads across the Carpathians. 
• . . . The Austrian War Depart- 
ment has succeeded in working won- 
ders in preparing the probable area of 
operations on our side for both attack 
and defense. If we were successful in 
war against Austria-Hungary . 
there would then recur the cry for the 
"rectification" of the frontier. The 
Carpathian mountains seem formed by 
nature for a boundary so that the 
whole of Galicia might become part of 
Russia. But we must put the position 
before ourselves clearly and in good 
time. Should we be the stronger for 
such an annexation, or on the other 
hand should we be creating a source of 
weakness and anxiety for ourselves? 
Seventy or a hundred years ago a 
transfer of Galicia might very likely 
have been of advantage, and have add- 
ed to our strength But now 

• ... it could be only torn from 
Austria by force and therefore unwill- 
ingly .... The Ruthenians of 
Galicia are not anxious to become Rus- 
sian subjects .... The Austrian 
Slavs are in no real need of our help. 
Every year they are gaining by per- 
sistency and peaceful methods more 
and more civil rights, which are gradu- 
ally placing them on an equality with 
the Germans and the Hungarians. . 
The people of Galicia consider them- 
selves far more advanced than their 
Russian neighbors. In their opinion it 
would be a retrograde step to become 
Russian subjects. . . Joined to Rus- 
sia, Galicia might in a lesser degree be- 
come an Alsace Lorraine for us just as 
Eastern Prussia would be!"* 

The old general wrote fourteen years 
ago, when his infiuence was at its 

•Quoted in "The Russian Army and 
the Japanese War," London, 1909. dd 



THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 



15 



height. Since then, however, his fame 
suffered much lamentable reverses that 
his words of warning lost all their 
weight with the Russian Nationalist- 
politicians. 

On the other hand the National 
Movement among the Ruthenians grew 
so strong that the St. Petersburg 
authoritative circles far from relaxing 
In their ambitious designs, decided to 
try and infuse a new life into the 
somewhat amateurish intrigue that 
was started in Galicia during the 
eighties by various Russian politicians. 

Count V. Bobrinski, a member of the 
Duma and the leader of the Russian 
Nationalist Party, was now selected to 
conduct the campaign. A descendant 
of Catherine the Great, a man closely 
related to the Russian Court, an am- 
bitious personality — he seemed "just 
the man for the job." 

"The Bobrinski Campaign," as It 
came to be known after, began with 
the convocation of the Pan-Slav Con- 
gress in Prague, Bohemia. Although, 
oddly enough the only language in 
which the delegates of the brotherly 
Slav nationalities were able to deliber- 
ate, was found to be German; the 
speeches made were violently pro- 
Russian and anti-Austrian. As might 
have been expected, Russia was de- 
clared to be the "protector of the 
Slavonic nations. Their gruesome fate 
I need not say, was not alluded to. 

The Congress took place in 1908, and 
Count V. Bobrinski one of its chief 
organizers, after its termination, re- 
paired to Galicia, where he tried to 
make concrete the principles proclaim- 
ed in Prague. 

Amply supplied with funds, the Rus- 
sian emissary founded two journals in 
Lemberg, the capital of Austrian 
Ruthenia. The object of these was to 
do the spade work of the campaign. 
As the population were not sufficiently 
interested in the contents of the per- 
iodicals to purchase them, they were 
distributed gratuitously. 



Simultaneously, Count V. Bobrinski 
undertook to canvas every place of 
importance in Galicia, East Hungary 
and Bukovina, with the view of mak- 
ing inflammatory speeches against Aus- 
tria, and trying to influence the popu- 
lation in Russia's favor. 

For some time the local Austrian 
officials ignored this propaganda: being 
mostly Poles, they had reasons of 
their own for not appearing to take it 
seriously. Count Bobrinski's activities, 
however, aroused the hostility of the 
Ruthenians themselves, and at their 
request he was at last expelled by the 
authorities. His departure was expe- 
dited by a shower of rotten eggs and 
other missiles, considered suitable for 
unpopular politicians. 

Althought the parent was expelled, 
the little brood, consisting of a small 
"Russophile group" and the twin per- 
iodicals, foster-nursed by Russian 
funds, managed to survive his enforced 
departure. 

To this day they continue their 
underhand work, in spite of repeated 
protests on the part of the Ruthenians. 

How is it that so dangerous a propa- 
ganda was allowed to take root? 

We have already mentioned that the 
Austrian officials in Galicia were most- 
ly Poles. Now, the Russians sought 
their protection for their propaganda 
work. They represented to them the 
revival of the Ruthenian Nation as 
dangerous, not only from the Russian, 
but also from the Polish point of 
view. Themselves the originators of 
the final downfall of the Polish Nation, 
they now did not think it beneath 
their dignity to appear to be con- 
cerned for the Polish national interest! 
By skillfully parading before their eyes 
the "glorious future" that might await 
them should they cast in their forces 
with Russia, they obtained their sup- 
port for their intrigue in Galicia. A 
concession of rights to the Polish lan- 
guage and the promise to grant self- 
government in Russia, were among the 



16 



THE GREAT 



tentatives put forward by the Rus- 
sians. That they proved effective, was 
shown on innumerable occasions by 
the Russian, Austrian, German and 
French press. 

The expulsion of Count V. Bobrinski 
from Austria, far from arresting his 
dangerous activities, marked the real 
beginning of the campaign. The Count 
returned home armed with first-hand 
information concerning the conditions 
prevailing in the Austro-Hungarian 
Ruthenia, which was much more im- 
portant than the theoretical knowledge 
possessed by the Russian politicians 
hitherto. He at once proceeded to 
form "The Russo-Galician Society" in 
St. Petersburg, the aim of which was 
to establish a Russian base for the 
operations; until then wanting. In 
Galicia itself it was decided to pro- 
ceed with the work cautiously and 
without noise. 

While it was left to the two Lem- 
berg journals to discredit systematical- 
ly, in the eyes of the reading public, 
the foreign policy of Austria, by ap- 
plying to it the Muscovite "Pan-Slav" 
yard-measure, the propaganda among 
the illiterate peasants was concealed 
under a religious cloak. 

Nine-tenths of the Ruthenians in 
Austria-Hungary belong to the Greek- 
Catholic, or Uniate Church, that was 
once spread over a much larger portion 
of the native territory than Galicia 
and Eastern Hungary to which it is 
confined now, but has since been bru- 
tally exterminated in Russia, and re- 
placed by the Russian official Religion. 
The history of Ruthenian "Unia," this 
undoubtedly most striking attempt 
to bring about the union of the Eastern 
and Western Christianity, is full of 
absorbing interest, and it accredits the 
Ruthenians with one more spiritual 
achievement of world-wide import. In 
addition to their splendid work in 
other directions. 

The Ruthenian Greek-Church, al- 
though it employs, in common with the 



CONSPIRACY 

Orthodox, the Eastern Rite, in dogma 
is at one with the Church of Rome; 
in fact, it constitutes the "golden 
mean" between the two churches: it 
preserves the marriage of the clergy, 
yet is subject to the Pope. 

As the majority of the Ruthenians 
in Austria-Hungary— some eighty per 
cent, of them — are peasants, it is the 
ritual side, not the dogmatic that fre- 
quently matters most. Count V. Bo- 
brinski and his colleagues took this 
circumstance fully into account and 
conceived a scheme for disguising their 
political aims under the form of prose- 
lytizing, on behalf of the Russian 
Orthodox Faith. 

We wish to lay stress upon the word 
"Russian" for a great number of Ru- 
thenians in Austria (about 400,000). 
without being Russian Orthodox, still 
belong to the Orthodox Faith. The fact 
that they do not recognize the su- 
premacy of the Holy Synod does not 
alter the position. With its complete 
subjugation to the lay authorities, 
Russian Orthodoxy, better designated 
as Muscovite, has been always and 
justly, looked upon in Russia and else- 
where as the vehicle of the Imperial 
Idea. To spread its influence among 
the Ruthenians of Austria-Hungary, 
would in itself mean to win them 
over to the Russian side, politically. 
As will be seen, however, the agitators 
did not mean to confine themselves to 
the propaganda of Russion Orthodoxy 
as such, and to trust in its automatic 
effectiveness in the desired sense, but 
used it only as a cover for an openly 
treasonable work. 

Exploiting the identity of the ritual, 
they contrived to effect some conver- 
sions among the illiterate peasants of 
the remote, mountainous regions Avhere 
they for the most part, centered their 
work, although even here none of the 
conversions were genuine. 

The Bishop Antonius, of the neigh- 
boring Volhynia (a Ruthenian province 
in Russia), a close associate of Count 



THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 



17 



Bobrinski, proclaimed himself the 
Orthodox Bishop of Galicia, and took 
good care that the converts were well 
supplied with Russian priests. Galic- 
ians were entitled to an Orthodox priest 
— all to themselves. Galician youths 
were taken abroad, and gratuitously 
trained, under Russian supervision, for 
the priesthood. Churches were built 
by Russian moneys. Their children 
during their school years were offered 
free board and lodging in specially 
established Russian hostels in Galicia. 
A brood of national renegades, in- 
structed in Russian official religion and 
stuffed with its political teaching, was 
carefully reared. 

The Russian Rouble was made an 
efficient bearer of the popularity of the 
ruler, whose image was struck upon it. 
The illiterate peasants of the Carpa- 
thian Highlands were taught that the 
portrait on the coins was that of the 
Ruthenian Tzar — the Head of the Ortho- 
dox Church! In the prayer books 
spread by the Russian "missionaries" 
the prayer for the Tzar, his family, 
army, and the State, occupied a promi- 
nent place. To make this "religious 
propaganda" at all effective, the Rus- 
sians studiously concealed the fact that 
there existed great dissatisfaction 
among the Orthodox Ruthenians of 
Russia with the Russian official Church 
that replaced the ancient native Ortho- 
doxy. They also avoided mention of 
the persecution the Ruthenians had to 
endure in Russia from the national 
point of view. 

The sale of Russian prayer books, as 
well as any other help to the spread of 
the Russian Church, was made very 
remunerative. In fact, as was disclosed 
during the recent trial in Hungary*, 



•The so-called "Ruthenian Treason 
Trial" (commented on December 29, 
1913, and ended March 3, 1914) of the 
eighty victims of the Russian proga- 
ganda. No fewer than 247 witnessea 



there were hardly any "conversions" 
at all that were not due to pecuniary 
considerations of some sort of other. 

Pilgrimages (subsidized by Russia) to 
the Holy places in the Empire, were 
one of the methods for bringing the 
Galician recruits of Russia into per- 
iodical touch with the leaders of the 
movement.** 

The method described above— that of 
"religious propaganda," as before men- 
tioned, was intended exclusively for the 
Illiterate, who could be deceived by the 
externals, while overlooking the sub- 
stance. For the people who could not 
be led astray by so thin a disguise, yet, 
being capable of serving a foreign 
Power, needed but an excuse for com- 
promising with their loyalty, the open- 
ly political "Pan-Slav" propaganda of 
the two newspapers of Count Bobrinski 
served. 

They had on their staff special emis- 
saries of the Russo-Galician Society of 
St. Petersburg, by which they were 
led. Day by day, for a period of six 
years, they worked to undermine the 
prestige of the lawful Government in 
Galicia. For this purpose they exploit- 
ed the misrule prevailing there, owing 
to the fact that the administration of 
that province was entrusted to the 
Austrian Poles. Every manifestation 
of oppression, injustice, disorder, or 
lack of discipline on the part of the 
Poles — and such were found in plenty 
— was explained to the readers as the 
sign of the Austrian decay and rotten- 
ness. At the same time the existing 
disgraceful state of affairs in Russia, 
was extolled as nearly perfect. 



were summoned, among them Count V. 
Bobrinski. 

**Thus for example, a report in the 
Lemberg "Dilo" (August 1, 1913) de- 
scribes how a party of Galician "pil- 
grims" was ceremoniously met at the 
Btation in Kiev, and received in person 
by the Governor-General of the 
Province. 



18 



THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 



So far in this little exposition of Rus- 
sian campaign we have only scratched 
the surface. Both the "Orthodox mis- 
sionary" propaganda and the frankly 
political "Pan-Slav" agitation of the 
two Bobrinski journals were but two 
air-shafts, by which the secret Russian 
political intrigue could ventilate its de- 
sign. Beneath the surface of things 
there existed a much more serious 
machinery. A regular conspiracy for 
the overthrow of the Austro-Hungarian 
rule in Galicia and converting it into a 
Russian "Government," was actively 
at work. 

A certain Yantchevetski, sent to 
Lemberg from St. Petersburg, super- 
intended the secret operations on the 
spot; at the same time, the ground 
was carefully prepared for clever inter- 
national move. While Count V. Bo- 
brinski continued to be responsible for 
the general management of the affair, 
his link with the Government and the 
"secret fund" became even more inti- 
mate than hitherto. The entire Nation- 
alist Press was now at his disposal. 
Some account of the huge sums of 
money expended by him upon the Gali- 
cian undertaking, was given sporadical- 
ly by the Russian, German, Austrian, 
and English Press***. 

The said Yantchevetski, the repre- 
sentativ ■ of Count V. Bobrinski in Gal- 
icia, deserves a few words to himself. 
He received his political training In 
Persia, during the period of the Ru.s- 
sian activities there, which was termin- 
ated by the bombardment of the Per- 
sian Parliament. M. Yantchevetskl's 
official capacity in Persia was that of 
correspondent to the St. Petersburg 
"Novoe Vremya." In the same capa- 
city he arrived in 1910 in Lemberg, 
where the present writer had an op- 
portunity of observing that gentleman's 
"journalistic" occupation. Without 



going into further detail, it may be 
sufficient to mention that people are 
known to the writer personally, whom 
the Russian Nationalist agent tried to 
bribe into the service of the Galician 
plot by offers of large sums of money. 

As disclosed by a few chance arrests 
effected during 1911 in Lemberg,* a vast 
secret organization for photographing 
fortresses, bridges and roadways, as 
well as for collecting any other useful 
military information existed in the 
Austrian part of Ruthenia. This 
organization formed as it were a back 
room of the Russian Orthodox Mis- 
sionary Show. When its roots and 
ramifications were pursued, it was 
found to be minutely regulated and 
directly guided from St. Petersburg. 
Its inner connection with "The Russo- 
Galician Society" was beyond doubt, 
and its subordination to Count Bo- 
brinski was evident. As later certified 
by a witness at the Trial in Marmaros 
Sziget (in Hungary) Count Bobrinski 
was wont to declare in presence of his 
followers that Russia would not demo- 
bilize before the Russian flag waved 
over the Carpathians.! 

Seeing themselves seriously threat- 
ened, the authorities of Austria-Hun- 
gary ordered a number of domiciliary 
searches and arrests among the per- 
sons involved in the "Orthodox" busi- 
ness (1912). A mass of illuminating 
evidence — much more than was antici- 
pated—was brought to light. The Rus- 
sian plot was more than an extraor- 
dinary spy-affair. Storehouses of Rus- 
sian flags were discovered; plans for 
capturing mayoralities and other mu- 
nicipal buildings were seized. 

Even that was not all. At the first 
news of arrests in the Austrian 
Ruthenia an alarm bell sounded 



***For one of the latest references 
see "The Daily Telegraph," March 10, 
1914. 



* "The Treason Trial" begun on 
March 9th in Lemberg, is ba.sed upon 
the evidence produced by these arrests. 

t Rep. in "The Times," Feb. 7th, 1914, 
(the dispatch from Vienna). 



The great conspiracy 

abroad, and a cry pierced the political 



19 



air of Europe— a shriek complaining of 
"Religrious Persecution in Galicia." 

The first clarion to resound that cry 
was the London "Times." In its col- 
umns appeared a long letter of Count 
Bobrlnski himself, 4: who in a masterly 
fashion approached the British want 
of knowledge in everything pertaining 
to the history and the actual position 
of the East of Europe. The Count 
spoke of "Russian peasants in Gali- 
cia"; he asserted that Galicia played a 
prominent part in the early Muscovite 
history, and he substituted "Russian" 
for "Ruthenian" as much and as often 
as he liked. He felt that nobody would 
question his accuracy in England. The 
statements he made were the wildest 
ever flung into the face of a deluded 
public. But the main contention of 
the conductor of the Russo-Galician 
plot was to convince the British pub- 
lic that a dreadful persecution of the 
Russian (!) co-nationals and the Or- 
thodox faith was taking place in Aus- 
tria, and that Russian intervention, if 
not absolutely imminent, could not be 
withheld long. The Russian feeling 
was outraged; Austria was worse than 
Turkey; the position of Galicia was 
nearly as bad as that of Macedonia, 
etc,, ad nauseam. Other newspapers 
in England and France gave a wide 
circulation to the Russian misstate- 
ments, and the Western World was 
expected to swallow a numbe'r of most 
atrocious lies. Were the Russian con- 
spirators successful in imposing their 
misrepresentations upon the public 
mind? They were. They succeeded in 
so completely mesmerizing the English 
and French press that when a few 
weeks later the Ruthenians protested 
against the Russian falsehoods, these 
were supported by the Russian jour- 
nalistic friends abroad. 

An Englishman went specially to 
Galicia, where he visited, in company 



with the agents of Count Bobrinski, 
the places affected by the Russian agi- 
tation; he issued a pamphlet on his 
return to England, in which he faith- 
fully supported his Russian friends.** 

Simultaneously in France, the same 
misrepresentations gained credence. 
In Germany alone, where the knowl- 
edge of Russian and Ruthenian affairs 
was incomparably more thorough than 
in the West, a fairly correct view of 
the whole affair was taken. 

Further attempts on the part of 
Ruthenians to protest against the Rus- 
sian impositions, met with a hostile re- 
ception in the press of the Western 
countries; this was already sufficiently 
attuned to the requirements of the 
Russian Nationalism. 

The unbiased voices were refused a 
hearing by the leading press. They 
were completely silenced when a few 
weeks later the chief organs, undoubt- 
edly to the huge enjoyment of the 
Russians, opened an attack of their 
own planning on the destruction of 
things hated by Russia. 

The position remained more or less 
stationary in the condition described 
above, till the autumn and winter, 
1912-1913, when the Balkan crisis and 
the general European tension reached 
their climax. Then it was evidently 
decided in St. Petersburg to give' a 
fresh stimulus to the intrigue in Gali- 
cia. The Russian Nationalists openly 
agitated for war with Austria, and 
their papers were full of incitement 
and provocation. 

The chief object of war with Austria, 
according to the press, which no longer 
concealed the hidden desires of the 
Russian heart, was to possess Galicia. 
While every description of organ and 
public speaker, tried by their speeches 
and utterances to "mobilize the Rus- 



4: Issue of April 10th, 1912. 



** The pamphlet was subsequently 
published in Russian by the Holy 
Synod (see the report on it in the Kiev 
"Rada," Aug. 16th, 1913.) 



20 



THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 



sian spirit" and create a popular en- 
thusiasm for tlie "War of Liberation 
of Galicia," the secret agents of Count 
Bobrinski in Austrian Ruthenia— under 
protection of the Poles— worked fever- 
ishly preparing for the Russian occu- 
pation. 

We do not speak of such trivial 
things as spies; these have since long 
become a common occurrence in Gali- 
cia. Even though their number was 
now increased enormously, it created 
very little excitement among the well- 
versed Galicians. The general bolster- 
ing up of Russian work during the 
war rumors, however, was marked X>y 
some new and extremely interesting 
features. 

Nearly every village of Galicia, Buko- 
vlna and Eastern Hungary, was hon- 
ored by mysterious visitors, who whis- 
pered to the peasants that invasion by 
the "Ruthenian" Tzar w^as imminent. 
The population was invited to meet 
the invader with signs of honor. The 
invader, it was assured, would take all 
the land from the landlords, and give 
It to the peasants. They would be al- 
lowed to destroy all the Jews "as op- 
pressors of the people." The "Ruthe- 
nian" Tzar was an anti-Jewish, pro- 
peasant, ruler.* 

So active was the propaganda among 
•the peasants, that cases of refusal to 
pay debts to the Jews, and of minia- 
ture "pogroms" were recorded almost 
every day by the press. 

The organized Russian alarms took 
many different forms. Thus, to re- 
member one more that was fairly com- 
mon in those days when the outbreak 
of hostilities was believed to be pos- 
sible almost at any moment, the Rus- 
sian agents told the peasants that the 
Austrian Emperor had decided to aban- 
don Galicia to its fate, and was not 
going to defend the population against 
the enemy. The conclusion that was 



* Comp. e. g., the Lemberg "Dilo," 
N. 271 (1912). 



expected to be drawn from these ru- 
mors by the peasants was that they 
should for their own safety give them- 
selves up body and soul to the Rus- 
sians when they arrived. 

The acute tension of 1912-1913 has 
passed, but the pressure of the Rus- 
sian conspiracy upon the Austrian Ru- 
thenians has not been relieved. The 
solemn declaration of the Ruthenian 
Political Council which took place at 
the height of the crisis, to the effect 
that they were determined to stand 
firmly by the side of Austria as the 
Power where their national aspirations 
were benevolently treated, hopelessly 
stuck in the ears of the Russians, who 
clamored for Galicia with an increas- 
ing howl. If it was left to Austria— 
they argued — it would become a nu- 
cleus of the revived Ukraine State, 
which would tend to attract to itself 
the parts of Ruthenian territory now 
under Russia. 

The concessions of the Vienna Gov- 
ernment to the Ruthenian demands for 
the establishment of a Rutlienian Uni- 
versity in Lemberg and the electoral 
reform to the Diet of Galicia, hitherto 
dominated by the Poles, although in 
no wise exceeding similar concessions 
to other races inhabiting the Empire, 
were Invariably interpreted by the 
Russian conspirators to the Western 
Europeans as "attempts on the part of 
Austria to create difficulties in the 
Russia:n path." The whole Ruthenian 
National Revival, whose birthplace was 
Russia, was represented as an "Aus- 
trian Intrigue!" To make this ridicu- 
lous bogey even more dreadful in the 
eyes of the English and the French 
who might be disquieted by the rise of 
the Ruthenian Problem, this "Austrian 
Intrigue" was proclaimed to be an 
"Austro-German Intrigue." If to-mor- 
row it was found expedient to call it 
"an Indo-Chinese Intrigue," we have 
not a slightest doubt that it would be 
so named. We do not doubt even that 
many people would be found who would 



THE GREAT 
believe it, altliougli not a single proof 
were given to substantiate the asser- 
tion. 

While the Kaiser was approached 
and entreated to intervene in favor of 
an anti-Ruthenian policy by Austria, 
as far back as summer of 1912, and 
this question was said to have formed 
the subject of the famous autograph 
correspondence between the Tzar and 
the Emperor of Austria in January, 
1913, M. Shebeko, the Russian ambas- 
sador at Vienna, appointed there last 
year, seemed to have been charged 
with a special mission of bringing 
about the change in the Austrian pol- 
icy regarding the Ruthenian National 
Revival. The crushing out of the 
Movement was named as the price of 
Russo-Austrian rapprochement. To 
facilitate the task of M. Shebeko, the 
Russian hirelings in the Western 
European press with a renewed vigor, 
perpetrated the Russian concoctions 
concerning the history and the present 
state of the Austrian Ruthenia. With 
the usual hypocrisy this was described 
as a country which once formed a part 
of the Russian Empire, and- was to 
this day populated by a branch of 
"Russian" people. 

While such were the activities 
abroad the representatives of Count 
Bobrinski in Galicia itself were obey- 
ing the supreme command of the hand 
that so skillfully manipulated the whole 
affair from St. Petersburg; in carry- 
ing out details of the design they were 
now modestly petitioning the "Vienna 
Government that the Russian language 
might be recognized in Galicia on an 
equal footing with Ruthenian! 

"Show them (the Ruthenians) the 
teeth of the wolf, and the tail of the 
fox" said once Catherine the Great to 
her Minister. No doubt. Count Bob- 
rinski has issued the same sort of 
order to his ambassadors in Galicia. 

To lure Austria into the recognition 
of the Russian language on equal foot- 
ing with the Ruthenian would mean to 



CONSPIRACY 21 

sanction the Russian historical miscon- 
struction, on which they base their 
pretentions concerning the Austrian 
parts of Ruthenia. There would be 
then no difflculty in making anybody 
believe that Galicia should belong to 
Russia as a part of the "Russian" ter- 
ritory left outside the borders of the 
Empire. For who would understand 
that Russian is a language as for- 
eign to a Ruthenian, as French is to 
an Italian? A race that is fighting for 
recognition, like the Ruthenians, and 
which as yet has not obtained it is 
practically debarred from any means 
of furthering its own point of view in 
this mercenary world. In every direc- 
tion it is confronted by some strong 
body— political, financial or other— 
whose interests are found to be injured 
by its revival. While it usually lacks 
the chief prop of modern times— money 
—its opponents can draw upon the 
secret service funds; all the means or 
influence— the press, the parliaments, 
etc.— are at the disposal of the highest 
bidder. In this auction it is left in the 
cold. Any absurd invention jotted 
down by a hired reporter and circu- 
lated in the press will serve as a 
"weighty argument" against its na- 
tional recognition. 

To admit for a single day the equal- 
ity of Russian with Ruthenian in Gali- 
cia would stamp this province for 
fifty years as a "Russian country." The 
Russian secret fund would see to that. 

We are glad to say that, as is ru- 
mored, the Vienna Government were 
not persuaded to accede to the impu- 
dent suggestions of the Russian am- 
bassador. The result of this was that 
the Russians seem to have been flung 
back upon the plan of a military ag- 
gression, pure and simple. 

Russian war preparations on an un- 
usually large scale are reported by the 
press throughout the world. It must 
be, however, borne in mind that since 
1913, the strictest censorship of news 
pertaining to military matters, is en- 



22 



THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 



forced in Russia, and that only frag- 
ments of information are allowed to 
find their way into the press. 

Certain facts, however, could not be 
concealed, and it is generally known 
now that Russian Nationalism has em- 
barked upon an extensive military pro- 
gram to be concluded in August, 1917. 
The realization of this program, made 
possible through the financial aid of 
France, is expected to enable Russia to 
carry a successful offensive into the 
territory of her western neighbors. 

No, there is little doubt which of the 
three western neighbors of Russia is 
especially aimed at. 

Although Russian hostility towards 
the Swedes is contestable, it is not 
they, nor the Germans, that are the 
main object of the Russian military 
preparations. 

The disposition of the troops, and 
the direction of the new lines of rail- 
ways, feverishly constructed, make it 
an open secret that Russia contem- 
plates an attack upon the Empire of 
the Hapsburgs, namely, that part of 
it which is populated by the Ruthen- 
ians— Galicia, Bukovina, and Eastern 
Hungary.* 



• In this connection the following 
quotation from an article on the Ter- 
centenary of Romanoffs, published in 
"The Daily Telegraph" (Oct. 3, 1913), 
may be of interest: "I may here men- 
tion," says the St. Petersburg corres- 
pondent of the journal, "that three 
days ago, the one British authority on 
the religious persecution of Russians 
in Galicia, and also on the Russian 
Church in general, Mr. J. W. Birkbeck, 
who has come here to attend the 
jubilee festivities, was given a dinner 
by members of the Duma and promi- 
nent politicians, in honor of his recent 
investigations into the subject on the 
spot. Russia, it is stated, will be sat- 
isfied if before the advent of the next 
tercentenary her frontiers rest on the 
Nieman Carpathians, and her egress 



Even while we are writing these 
lines an increase of 30% on the previ- 
ous military budget is voted by the 
Duma, and a rumor is abroad that a 
"test mobilization" has been decided 
upon in the south-western (that is. In 
the Ruthenian) part of the Empire, 
close to the Austrian frontier, at the 
cost of £10,500,000. Before we are much 
older, we shall probably see one of 
these "test mobilizations" turn into a 
real danger to European peace. 

The territory of Ruthenia, in Austria 
and Russia, has been already long 
since designated as the future theatre 
of war. The French military author- 
ities call it" the secondary theatre," 
secondary to the plains of north-west 
Russia and East Prussia, where the 
French see in their fiery dreams the 
attack of the Russians upon the Ger- 
man rear.t To the French, who are 
naturally anxious in the first place for 
their own welfare, the imaginary 
Russo-German conflict, so strongly de- 
sired by them, is the "primary" affair. 
The appearance of things seems, how- 
ever, entirely different when contem- 
plated from the Russian stand-point. 

Russia cannot afford to quarrel with 
Germany and Austria at the same 
time. In fact, she cannot afford to 
quarrel with Germany alone. In com- 
parison with the Austrians, her position 
seems to be fairer. Without too much 
illusion, Russia may be regarded as a 
fair match for Austria. Should France 
engage Germany's attention so 



from the Black Sea is freed from all 
external control. The last word of 
Russia in the European East is the 
emancipation of the Black Sea, and it is 
bitterly regretted by the Nationalists 
that the most favorable opportunity 
presented by the Balkan war for the 
realization of this necessity has been 
completely missed by timid Russian 
diplomacy." 

t e. g. "La France victorieuse danB 
la guerre de demain."— Paris, 1912. 



THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 



23 



thoroughly that she would be prevent- 
ed from assisting her ally, an oppor- 
tune moment for a war with Austria 
would arrive. Although risking her 
own integrity, Russia might try, with 
about 50% of chances for success, to 
wring from Austria those provinces, 
further political development of which 
would threaten the hegemony of the 
Muscovite race. 

It is quite clear that things are de- 
veloping in that direction. The Lon- 
don "Times" two years ago said that 
the Ruthenian question was, at least 
potentially, one of the gravest ques- 
tions of Europe. And Mr. H. Steed, the 
author of a recent book upon the 
Austro-Hungarian politics, expressed 
the opinion that the Ruthenian ques- 
tion may involve Austria-Hungary and 
Russia in a struggle, even if it does 
not precipitate a general European 
conflagration. Mr. Steed only reiter- 
ated what has been for years a com- 
mon belief in Ruthenia itself, where 
the grave developments, to this day 
not fully realized in the west, were 
perfectly visible.* 

An anonymous writer in the "Morn- 
ing Post" (June 21, 1913), in these 
words described the situation in the 
south-eastern corner of Europe: 

"The Austrian Poles think that the 
gradual loss of influence in Galicia 
will compel them to consider whether 
their interests are as identical with 
those of Austria, as they have hither- 
to supposed. On the other hand, it 
is a question whether Russia would 
be indifferent to the growth of Ruth- 
enian influence and to the develop- 
ment of Eastern Galicia into the 
nucleus for a future 'Ukraine' State. 
A completely Ruthenian University 



and a completely Ruthenian Diet 
might become centers of attraction 
for the Ruthenians, or Little Rus- 
sians of Russia. The Poles believe 
that the 'Ukraine' movement is 
bound to lead sooner or later to war 
between Austria and Russia, and 
many of them think that this war 
will decide the fate of Poland. If 
Austria were victorious the whole 
'Ukraine't might be annexed to Aus- 
tria, while Russian Poland, and per- 
haps West Galicia, would be taken 
by Prussia, as compensation for the 
increase of Austrian territory. If 
Austria were beaten she would prob- 
ably lose the whole of Galicia to 
Russia, who would make a new 
'Government' of the eastern portion, 
and include the western portion in 
Russian Poland. There is a third 
possibility, which is occupying the 
minds of many Poles in Russia, 
Prussia and Austria — that Russia 
and Germany may one day agree to 
divide between themselves parts of 
Austrian territory more extensive 
than Galicia. This would be the 
partition of the Austrian Empire, a 
partition often said to be inevitable. 



* Their importance was hidden from 
the western eye by organized Russian 
efforts; one of the means of confusing 
the issue was to confound it with the 
religrious, linguistic, and other side 
problemjs. 



t The inverted commas belong to the 
writer of "The Morning Post," who 
evidently is misled by Russian sug- 
gestions to the effect that the name 
Ukraine is of recent and artiflcal 
origin. We need hardly say that this 
point of view is entirely false. The 
origins of the name by which our 
country is rightly designated, can be 
traced to at least as far back as the 
twelfth century. A French writer of 
great repute, derived it from the Latin 
Acheronia, the term that has been ap- 
plied to it by the Romans. To the 
English literature the name is known 
from at least as early as the seven- 
teenth century, and maps from that 
period showing the exact extent of the 
country can be seen in the British 
Museum. 



24 



THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 



But those who predict it usually 
leave the vitality of Austria herself 
out of their reckoning. The next ten 
years may be a very important 
period for all the three empires 
which took part in the division of 
Poland, and may once more show 
that there is an imminent justice in 
the history, from which even the 
most powerful empires cannot es- 
cape." 

While the period of ten years may 
appear short enough to a foreign ob- 
server, a Ruthenian cannot help think- 
ing that the hour of reckoning is at 
hand. Before two or three years are 
over, we may hear the trumpets sound 
and armies march to war. In fact, 
rarely a month passes nowadays that 
at some period of it or another, a 
cloud of bloody struggle does not 
darken the horizon in Ukraine. The 
population live in constant expectation 
of an outbreak of hostilities. Trade 
and commerce are crippled, and foreign 
credit dead. The people's minds are 
turning to different problems, their 
moods to different tunes. With Shake- 
speare the Ruthenians could say that: 
"Come what come may. 
Time and the hour runs through the 

roughest day!" 
To them the coming Austro-Russian 
conflict means very much. It means 
the burning of their villages, the de- 
struction of their cities; it means the 
turning of their beautiful fertile land 
into a temporary desert. 

It means the utter disorganization of 
their economic life for a long period 
of years before, during, and after tht 
war. 

It means also large sacrifices in men. 
As Russian and Austrian soldiers they 



wil march against each other, and 
thousands of them, hundreds of thous- 
ands, will lay their lives on the altar 
of the Moloch of War. 

Thousands more will suffer death, 
mutilation, and assault at the hand 
of invading soldiery. 

But the coming struggle means much 
more to them than simply their suf- 
ferings, as the population of the im- 
mediate theatre of war. The struggle 
between Austria and Russia will de- 
cide, for generations to come, their 
position as a race. 

Should Russia happen to be victori- 
ous in this coming struggle, and 
Galicia, in consequence, become a Rus- 
sian province, their national revival 
that found its refuge there, after it 
has been placed outside the law in 
Russia, would be exposed to the re- 
vengeful hand of the Muscovite. 

Knowing Russia and its inner soul 
well, they entertain no illusions as to 
what would be the fate of their na- 
tional claims, in that case.** 

With the ferociousness which char- 
acterized her persecution of their na- 
tional aspirations within her borders, 
she would now stamp out whatever 
national gains they had attained in 
Galicia. 

To bring about those conditions 
when the Ruthenian National Revival 
would be within her reach, is express- 
ly the primary air of Russia's aggres- 
sive ambition. 



** Sometimes it seems that there is 
something racial in the fierceness of 
the Russian intolerance towards other 
nationalities. "Scratch the Russian 
and you will find a Tartar" it was said 
in the good old days. 



THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 
AN APPEAIi. 

The object of the present appeal is 
to protest before the civilized world 
thj feelings of the Ruthenians in view 
of the aproaching events. 

We desire the world to understand 
distinctly, that those of us who are 
Austro-Hungarian subjects, have not 
a* slightest wish to become Russian 
subjects. 

In spite of Russian assertions, which, 
unfortunately, are better known in 
England and France than our own 
claims, we wish the public to under- 
stand that we, the supposed sufferers, 
have never complained ourselves of 
any religious persecution of our co- 
nationals on the part of Austria.t Any 
complaints to that effect that were 
raised, were raised exclusively by Rus- 



25 



In Russia their revival is treated as 
treasonable. As long as this is so, 
they cannot afford to see the Austrian 
part of their country fall into the Rus- 
sian hands. 



sia. 

The Ruthenians of Austria view the 
Russian advance with utter suspicion 
and great alarm. They want Russia 
to leave them alone. 

This view was expressly stated by 
the solemn Council of party leaders 
and public men, held in Lemberg in 
December, 1912, when it was declared 
that in case of war, the Ruthenians 
of Austria will stand firmly by Aus- 
tria's side. The resolutions of that 
Council fully representative of every- 
thing that matters in Austrian Ru- 
thenia, should be read by everybody 
who wants to know the truth about 
the feelings of the people. These reso- 
lutions were never forgotten by the 
Russians. 

The Ruthenians want Galicia to re- 
main in the conditions of civilized life; 
they want it preserved as the refuge 
of their national revival. 



tFar from that being the case, the 
protests against Russian impositions 
never ceased. One of them — that of 
the Orthodox Ruthenians of Bukovina 
— may be here especially noticed: it de- 
clared in the name of the Orthodox 
that they were never persecuted in 
Austria. 



In Russia, their national rights were 
guaranteed to them by the Russo- 
Ruthenian Treaty of Perejaslav. This 
Treaty is on the Statute Book of the 
Russian Empire, a succession of Rus- 
sian Tzars have solemnly confirmed it, 
and it has never been abrogated. 

In the Heir of the Russian Throne 
the office of Hetman or lawful ruler of 
Ukraine is vested. When Russia will 
re-establish the autonomy, which is 
their due, then only she may expect a 
different attitude on the part of the 
race as a whole. 

Although Orthodox by religion and a 
subject of the Tzar, Nicholas II. of All 
the Russias— Great, Little and White — 
the present writer deems it his duty as 
a "Little Russian" to lay before the 
world the circumstances amid which 
his race is working its way to free- 
dom. Upon the handling of the prob- 
lems arising out of the national re- 
vival of our race, the future of Rus- 
sia, Austria, and the whole of Europe 
will depend. 

We do not demand the downfall of 
Russia, nor do we clamor for its dis- 
memberment; but we are determined 
to see our race restored to its posi- 
tion as a nation. Instead of meddling 
with Galician affairs and planning of 
the seizure of the Austro-Hungarian 
parts of our ancient Kingdom; instead 
of alarming our compatriots of Austria 
by its aggressive designs; and alien- 
ating at the same time the feelings of 
loyaltiy amongst its own Ruthenian 
subjects, who are 35,000,000 strong, 
Russia would achieve a real feat of 
wisdom in policy, if she showed herself 
a champion, instead of being an op- 
pressor, of the Ruthenian National 
rights. 
The re-introduction of the Ruthenian 



u 



THE GREAT 



language as the language of instruc- 
tion into the schools, colleges and uni- 
versities of the Ruthenian territory in 
Russia; the restitution of its rights in 
the Administration, Railways, Post 
Offices and Law Courts of the Prov- 
ince; the concession of autonomy in 
legislation, with grant of a local par- 
liament in Kiev— might at least for a 
time completely satisfy the Ruthenian 
subjects of the Tzar. This policy 
would destroy the awkward feeling 
which now seems to be prevalent 
among them, that no better national 
future can be hoped for by them with- 
in the Empire. 

After all, it must not be forgotten, 
that the best regiments of Russia are 
composed of Ruthenians; and that an 
important portion of her armies— the 
Cossackdom of Kuban— is an entirely 
Ruthenian organization. The majority 
of the Russian sailors— including all 
the sailors of the Black Sea Fleet- 
are Ruthenians. Is it wise so to strain 
their loyalty by persistent suppression 
of their national rights, that they 
should turn their eyes to Austria, as a 
more desirable Ally? 

Russia .likes to represent herself 
before the Western World as the pro- 
tector of the Slavs, as the champion of 
their rights, as the greatest Slav 
Power. How is it then that she never 
ceases to persecute ruthlessly the Ru- 
thenians, who are the second largest 
Slav race? Would it not be better for 
her prestige among the Southern and 
Western Slavs alike, if she put an end 
to this ignominious policy? 

The Slav policy of Russia is con- 
fronted, although it may be so far lit- 
tle appreciated in England, with a 
strong antidote: the Slav policy of 
Austria. It is not at all a fact, as is 
commonly imagined in the West, that 
Austria's policy is universally hated 
by the Slavs, while that of Russia 
meets with general enthusiaism. Of 
late years there has been a growing 
feeling noticeable in favor of the so- 



CONSPIRACV 

called "Austro-Slavism." Austria is nd 
more regarded as "a German Power 
aiming at the enslavement of the Slav 
peoples." Slavonic peoples within her 
borders, have succeeded in attaining a 
great degree of independence and free- 
dom. Even greater measure of liberty 
may be attained in the near future. 
The Archduke Franz Ferdinand is 
credited with vast schemes for the for- 
mation of a huge confederacy of Slav- 
onic peoples under the Hapsburg sway. 

These, and like rumors, are bound to 
act as a strong ferment when Russia's 
policy is marred by its unceasing per- 
secution of the second greatest Slav 
people. 

The friends of Russia abroad, who 
wish to see it strong, united and effi- 
cient, cannot hold any different views 
than those which animate its truly 
loyal subjects: that Russia should 
abandon her adventurous ambition re- 
garding the Austrian parts of Ruthen- 
ia, and should at the same time com- 
pletely alter her present policy to- 
wards her own Ruthenian subjects. 
Then she need be in no danger that 
her richest provinces may be attracted 
to Austria, and she will reap a fresh 
harvest of the Ruthenian loyalty, 
which may serve her an excellent turn. 

As a matter of fact, there is every 
reason to think that the Tzar's person- 
al feelings towards the Ruthenians are 
quite sympathetic. He clearly mani- 
fested it on several occasions. If, how- 
ever, the policy of Russia upon the 
Ruthenian problem is such as de- 
scribed in the preceding lines, it is a 
blunder provoked by the extremists of 
the Russian Nationalism. 

Count V. Bobrinski Is one of thosu 
men who will be responsible in the first 
instance, for having steered Russia on 
to the rocks. 

M. Stepankowsky's information is 
borne out by current war events. 
When, after the withdrawal of the 
Austro-Hungarian troops from Lem- 
berg (this action was prompted by a 



THE GREAT 

humane consideration for the lives of 
civilized residents), the Russians took 
possession of the city, Grand Duke 
Nicolai Nicolajevich, the Russian com- 
mander-in-chief, wired his imperial 
cousin the following "triumphant" 
message: "Austrian Danger Elimin- 
ated." These words apparently con- 
firm the truth of M. Stepankowsky's 
charge, viz. that Russia regards Ru- 
thenian free Institutions in Austria as 
a menace to the longevity of Russian 
autocratic policies. 

The Czar now appointed Count Vlad- 
imir Bobrinski (the notorious Russian 
political freebooter, and one of the 
leaders of the Nationalist Party and 
the "Black Hundred" organization) 
as Governor of East Galicia. When 
Bobrinski received from the Mayor of 
Lemberg the keys of the city, he 
thanked the Mayor for keeping order 
in the town, and said: 

"I think it necessary to acquaint you 
with the leading principles of my pol- 
icy. I consider Lemberg and East 
Galicia the real origin of Great Rus- 
sia, since the original population was 
Russian. The re-organization will be 
based on Russian ideals. We will im- 
mediately introduce the Russian lan- 
guage and Russian customs. These 
steps will be taken with the necessary 
care. We shall at first limit these to 
the appointment of Russian governors 
and other officials. Many of the pres- 
ent executives wil not be replaced. We 
shall forbid the convocation of your 
legislature during the war. All social 
and political organizations must be 
discontinued, and resume their activi- 
ties only by permission. These pre- 
cepts obtain only in East Galicia; 
West Galicia will be treated different- 
ly." 

M. Stepankowsky is not the only 
publicist exposing the part played by 
Russia in the greeat conspiracy. 

The "Ukrainian Question in its Na- 
tional Aspect" (Francis Griffiths, Lon- 



CONSPIRACY 



27 



don, 1914) is treated by Yaroslav Fe- 
dortchouk, a Ruthenian resident of 
Paris; the same publishing house re- 
printed (1914) a lecture by Mr. Bed- 
win Sands on "Ukraine"; Professor 
Barwinski (a member of the Ruthen- 
ian School Commission for Galicia and 
an authority on Ruthenian history 
and politics) also published, before the 
war broke out, a series of articles on 
this subject, in the "Oesterreichische 
Rundschau." All these authors agree 
in that Russia's criminal object is, 
and has been, the conquest and annex- 
ation of Galicia and Bukovina. 

It may also interest Americans to 
learn the opinion of nearly half a 
million Ruthenians living on American 
soil. 

In its issue of August 6, 1914, the 
popular Ruthenian journal "Swoboda" 
(Liberty), of Jersey City, New Jersey, 
denies the truth of the absurd asser- 
tion recently made in the "London 
Times," viz. that Russian orthodox 
propaganda in Galicia became neces- 
sary so as to counteract Austrian 
propaganda made for the cause of 
Greek Catholicism among the Ruthen- 
ians in Russia. 

American Ruthenians unanimously 
declare that inasmuch as only two 
paths are open to them— either gloomy 
Muscovite slavery and gradual racial 
extermination, or more independent 
life under the protection of other gov- 
ernments, German or Slavo-German, — 
they are firmly decided to stand loyal- 
ly by Austria and Germany. 

In conclusion it may not be out of 
place to add the significant words 
uttered by M. Iswolski, Russian Am- 
bassador to France and — as former 
Minister of Foreign Affairs — one of the 
prinicpals in this conspiracy. As soon 
as hostilities started between Germany 
and Russia, M. Iswolski exclaimed 
triumphantly: "This is MY war!" 



28 THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 

THE BRITISH ACCOMLICE, 

We charge Great Britain with abet- 
ting the foul cause of Russia. 

The moral responsibility for Eng- 
land's crime rests with Sir Edward 
Grey and Winston Churchill, First 
Lord of the British Admiralty. These 
two indefatigable executors of Brit- 
ain's policy, the last will and testa- 
ment of Victoria's scheming son, pro- 
viding for the isolation of Germany 
and the destruction of her naval, polit- 
ical and economic power, are the real 
perpetrators of the most colossal crime 
ever committed upon civilization. 

There is ample documentary evidence 
to prove that Great Britain's partici- 
pation in the war is the logical con- 
clusion derived from English com- 
mercialism and insatiable greed as 
premisses. We are also in a position 
to produce documents disclosing the 
fact that the British government had 
full information of Russia's anxiety 
for war, and that, rather than promo- 
ting the ends of peace, England wel- 
comed the opportunity of a general 
European conflagration on the ruins of 
which the British Empire might be re- 
constructed. 

The hypocrisy of the British Cabinet 
is reflected in its own official corre- 
spondence; of the British "White 



Paper." 

The intended 
neutrality was 
"casus belli," 
government had 



violation of Belgian 

artfully declared as 

though the German 

notified the British 



Foreign Office that the neutrality of 
Belgian territory would be respected 
if Great Britain would guarantee not 
to interfere in the conflict. This is 
proven by the following telegraphic 
messages forwarded by Sir Edward 
Grey to the British Ambassadors to 
Germany and France: 

"Sir Edward Grey to Sir E. Goshen, 
London Foreign Office, Aug. 1, 1914. 

Sir: — I told the German Ambassador 
today that the reply of the German 
government with regard to the neu- 



trality of Belgium was a matter of 
very great regret, because the neu- 
trality of Belgium affected feelings in 
this country. 

"He asked me whether, if Germany 
gave a promise not to violate Bel- 
gium's neutrality, we would engage to 
remain neutral. I replied that I could 
not say that; our hands were still free. 

"The Ambassador pressed me as to 
whether I could not formulate con- 
ditions on which we would remain neu- 
tral. He even suggested that the in- 
tegrity of France and her colonies 
might be guaranteed. I said that I felt 
obliged to refuse definitely any prom- 
ise to remain neutral, and I could only 
say that we must keep our hands off." 

"Sir Edward Grey to Sir F. Bertie 
(Telegraphic.) London, Foreign 
Qfflce, Aug. 2, 1914. 

"After the Cabinet this morning I 
gave M. Cambon the following mem- 
orandum: 

"I am authorized to give an assur- 
ance that, if the German fleet comes 
into the channel or through the North 
Sea or to undertake hostile operations 
against the French Coast or shipping, 
the British Fleet will give all the pro- 
tection in its power. This assurance 
must not be taken as binding His 
Majesty's government to take any 
action until the above contingency of 
action by the German Fleet takes 
place. 

"M. Cambon asked me about the 
violation of Luxemburg. I told him 
the doctrine in that point. He asked 
me what we should do about the vio- 
lation of the neutrality of Belgium. I 
said we were considering whether we 
should declare violation of Belgian 
neutrality to be "casus belli." 

These official comunications plainly 
show that the sword of Great Britain 
was not drawn in defense of Belgian 
neutrality, but that England's declara- 
tion of war is in absolute conformity 
with the conservative doctrine preach- 



THE GREAT 

ed by the British statesmen for over 
200 years. In an English pamphlet of 
1694 we read the following passage: 

"It is of special interest to England 
to maintain the European balance for 
the purpose of holding the scale in its 
hands and of being able to turn it to 
whatever side it desires. That is our 
only possible means of not only keep- 
ing intact the empire of the seas, but 
of also enabling us to decide about the 
sucess of war and about the conditions 
of peace." 

According to information available 
in European papers, Winston Churchill, 
on Sept. 11, 1914, delivered an address 
at the London Opera House. These 
are his most pregnant utterances: 

"This will be a long and difficult war 
with many possible disappointments 
The only certain way to end the war 
would be for England to send a mil- 
lion armed men to the continent. In 
the first six weeks of the war Ger- 
many' foreign trade has been de- 
stroyed, whereas British ships continue 
to carry on our commerce upon which 
depend the wealth, the industry and 
the power of this country in the pres- 
ent war. Moreover, Great Britain is 
transporting great masses of troops 
from all parts of the globe to the thea- 
ter of war. The entire North Sea has 
been searched, but the German fleet 
has not been discovered. Within the 
next twelve months the number of 
large warships to be built by Great 
Britain will be more than twice the 
number to be built by Germany, and 
the number of British cruisers will be 
three or four times as large. Our fore- 
most need at present is a large army 
which, protected by our navy, will 
finally decide this horrible conflict. If 
the British people are willing we can 
at once increase the number of our 
troops now in the field to one-quarter 
million men: about New Year's to one- 
half million; and, in the spring of 1915, 
to the full strength of twenty-five army 
corps. A compromise or armistice is 



CONSPIRACY 



29 



absolutely out of the question. Now, 
where we have gone so far we must 
unflinchingly proceed to the end. This 
is the same great war which would 
have been waged in 1909 if Russia had 
not then so far humiliated herself as 
to yield to German threats." 

This proves that England, expecting 
war five years ago, was ready to do 
her share as soon as occasion would 
demand, and that the only reason why 
England held back in 1909 was Rus- 
sia's unpreparedness. This is also cor- 
roborated by a statement made by Mr. 
Ramsay MacDonald, the representa- 
tive of the Labor Party in Parliament, 
in an article recently published in the 
"Labor Leader." Mr. MacDonald de- 
clares Sir Edward Grey's foreign pol- 
icy to be a misfortune for England. 

The nature of the military agree- 
ment entered into, since 1906, by Sir 
Edward Grey with France and, subse- 
quently, also with Russia was appar- 
ently such as to render a withdrawal 
at this time impossible. This is why 
Grey refused to confer with the Ger- 
man Ambassador on the question of 
British neutrality. Belgium supplied 
the convenient pretext for war. Mr. 
MacDonald also criticizes Sir Edward 
Grey for withholding the full truth 
from Parliament. "When Asquith and 
Grey," says Mr. MacDonald, "assured 
Parliament that our entente with 
France did not place England under 
obligation, this was not literally, but 
virtually an untruth." 

Visitors to England in the last few 
years have had ample opportunity to 
observe British commercial and indus- 
trial decline due to the inefficiency and 
stubbornness of most manufacturers 
who failed to adopt the honest policy 
inherent in modern commercial princi- 
ples. Students of English business 
practises, referring especially to in- 
vesting schemes and brokerage, report 
that, for some thirty years past, 50 per 
cent, of these firms have been conduct- 
ing their business with the criminal 



.•^0 



THE GREAT CONSPIRACY 



intent of defrauding their clients. Ac- 
cording to English Common Law and 
criminal procedure, it rests with the 
prosecution, or with the victims seek- 
ing redress, to prove the criminal in- 
tent of the defrauder, and this is gen- 
erally impossible owing to the fact 
that business of this particular nature, 
transacted in London, is not localized, 
but extends to all parts of the world. 
Thus, many hundred million Pounds 
Sterling were criminally appropriated 
by the London stockbrokers until these 
wholesale thefts w^ere detected by in- 
vestors who preferred to content them- 
selves with a moderate interest rather 
than suffer the total loss of their sav- 
ings. The result was that thousands 
of schemers with "brokerage" offices 
in the city of London were forced out 
nf business, and their help (cashiers, 
clerks, stenographers, typists, messen- 
gers, etc.) lost their bread. 

The contrast between a small num- 
ber of feudal lords, owning almost 
four-fifths of London real estate, and 
many hundred thousand paupers near- 
ly led to a revolution and compelled 
Lloyd George to ask Parliament for 
laws which would do away with medie- 
val feudalism. 

The recent trouble in the British 
Cabinet, due to the revolt of the Ulster 
military party against the enactment 
of Irish home-rule, is well known to 
all. 

These were the causes which prompt- 
ed the British Government anxious not 
to lose all power and control — to direct 
public attention to the necessity of de- 
stroying a country whose one fault is 
the aggressive commercial enterprise 
and success. 

Greed is a trait of British national 
character, and history knows of many 
instances of International highway 
robbery and piracy, protected and 
prompted by the British Government. 

British policies have always been 
unprincipled, and their object has 
never been the realization of the ideal 



of liberty, but the exploitation and op- 
pression of other nations. 

In an editorial of Sept. 17, 1914, the 
New York Evening Post, rejecting the 
idea that America would sympathize 
with a war of greed, remarks: 

"On the English side, too, there is 
plenty of evidence that the German 
eagle is to have no tail feathers left 
if certain outraged Britons can have 
their way. Thus we learn from a 
lurid advertisement in the "Manches- 
ter Guardian": 'How Women Can Join 
in the Grand Assault on Germany's 
Trade. — The government's declaration 
of war on Germany's trade will go 
down into history as one of the mas- 
ter strokes of the war.' The capture 
of the German trade in apparel, fancy 
goods and cotton manufactures, which 
amounted to $57,000,000 last year, is 
the prize aimed at. The British Em- 
pire Industrial League declares that 
'no such golden chance has ever been 
offered to British industry and com- 
merce' as is afforded because of Ger- 
man violation of Belgian neutrality. 
'The complete paralysis of Germany's 
export trade,' writes the London Daily 
News, 'has presented our traders with 
a wonderful opportunity, and they are 
grimly alive to the situation.' An 
American closely affiliated with the 
shipping trade tells us that the delib- 
erate and far-reaching way the British 
shipping interests have gone to work 
to sweep the seas of German com- 
merce have been nothing less than 
amazing." 

That the British Government was 
prepared for war and encouraged the 
bold desire of the Russian military 
party to precipitate a conflict, is now 
evident from the Official Report No. 
795,402, July 30, 1914, forwarded by M. 
B. de L. Elscaille, Royal Belgian Min- 
ister at St. Petersburg. This report, 
which was intercepted on its way 
through Germany, describes the po- 
litical situation at St. Petersburg as 
follows; 



THE GREAT 

"The British Government at first in- 
timated that it did not wish to be 
drawn into a conflict. Sir George 
Buchanan openly made this statement. 
Today, however, St. Petersburg is not 
only firmly convinced, but even has 
been assured that Great Britain will 
aid France. This aid is of extraor- 
dinary importance, and has had no 
little effect upon the success of the 
efforts made by the military party." 

In a letter of Aug. 11, addressed to 
the New York "Nation" by its London 
correspondent, and published in the 
"Nation" on Aug. 27, we are informed 
of the fact that England began to 
make actual preparation for war on 
Aug. 1st. This would indicate that 
England's much-discussed efforts in 
behalf of peace were nothing but a 
stroke of hypocritical diplomacy. 

"Ameryka Echo," a widely circu- 
lated Polish weekly appearing in 
Toledo, Ohio, published (Oct. 18, 1914) 
a number of Polish letters describing 
conditions prevailing in Radom, Rus- 
sian Poland, since the occupation of 
that city by Austrian soldiery. From 
one of these letters we gather that the 
Russian Government — two w^eeks be- 
fore the declaration of war by Ger- 
many — withdrew all Russian execu- 
tives in charge of the administrative 
offices in Poland. 

This proves beyond a doubt that 
Russia was determined to wage war 
against Austria (and Germany). 

In this connection it should be borne 
in mind that the Grand Duke Nicolai 
Nicolajevitch, the Czar's uncle and, at 
present, the Russian commander-in- 
chief, is a son-in-law of King Nicolaus 
of Montenegro, and a brother-in-law of 
the Servian King. 

Moreover, while King Peter Kara- 
georgevitch of Servia was pretender to 
the Servian crown he lived for many 
years in Switzerland at the expense of 



CONSPIRACY 3i 

the Russian Government, and the 
funds necessary for educating Peter's 
two sons, George and Alexander, in 
Russian military schools at St. Peters- 
burg. 

The well-informed British Foreign 
Office, like all diplomats conversant 
with recent Balkan intrigues, knew 
that this royal Russo-Servian clique 
was directly responsible for the brutal 
assassination of King Alexander (Ob- 
ranovitch )and his wife, Draga, in 1903; 
and that the same clique prepared the 
murderous plot of Serajewo. 

All this goes to show that the Aus- 
trian conflict wnth Servia and the vio- 
lation of Belgian neutrality by Ger- 
many—two incidents which official 
British organs have been ruminating 
ad nauseam— are cleverly set mouse- 
traps in which all Europe was to be 
caught. 

The unfortunate dupes of this gi- 
gantic conspiracy are Belgium and 
France. It seems the climax of irony 
when we consider that, as Mr. Alex- 
ander von Nuber, Austro-Hungarian 
Consul-General, remarks, in the Fa- 
therland, Oct. 14: "the French nation, 
governed by a half-socialistic and half- 
radical cabinet, profoundly pacific in 
its tendencies, found itself involved in 
a conflict which originated in the out- 
rageous conspiracy of Belgrade." 

We believe to have proved conclu- 
sively that upon the shoulders of Rus- 
sia and Great Britain, the two arch- 
conspirators, rests the Atlas-burden of 
a crime hitherto unparalleled in the 
history of civilization. The world is 
on fire— and Russia and Great Britain 
are the incendiaries— Russia's motive 
being the acquisition of greater ter- 
ritory and the destruction of conti- 
nental democracy; England's the un- 
controllable jealousy of German com- 
mercial expansion. 

New York, October, 1914. 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



021 546 328 P 



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